In the prior art, applicant is aware of treatment benches and tables such as the Ramped Bench of Roullard et al. which is the subject of U.S. Pat. No. 5,472,401 which issued Dec. 5, 1995, which perhaps exemplifies the prior art which is replete with the use of bench or table surfaces where the patient lies on a planar supporting surface. By way of further example, applicant is aware of United Kingdom Patent Application No. 2 152 381 which was published Aug. 7, 1985 for the Physiotherapy Table of Moomaw. By way of yet further example, applicant is aware of U.S. Pat. No. 4,157,089 which issued Jun. 5, 1979 for the Physiotherapy Table of Loughrey, and U.S. Pat. No. 5,050,589 which issued Sep. 24, 1991 for the Isokinetic Knee Table of Engle.
Non planar therapeutic tables are unknown in the prior art of which applicant is aware without resorting to reference to mere exercise equipment such as the Therapeutic Exercise Equipment for the Handicapped which is the subject of Canadian Patent No. 1,290,209 which issued to Bergeron on Oct. 8, 1991. The Bergeron patent discloses a rigid hemispherical shell having a moulded foam exterior for use in providing therapeutic exercise for a handicapped child. Bergeron teaches that the object of his exercise apparatus is to enhance a handicapped child's ability to maintain balance and proper posture, developing in such a child either higher or lower level balance skills or both. The apparatus is taught as being capable of being used by a physical therapist to initiate a number of different postural and equilibrium reactions in the body of the handicapped child.
In applicant's experience if a patient is laid over a hemispherical shape for example if the patient is laid prone over the device of Bergeron or over an inflatable exercise ball such as are presently commercially available, the result is a kyphotic curvature or dorsal convexity of the spine conforming to the shape of the ball, which is good for stretching but not conducive to myofascial therapy. What is not taught in the prior art of which applicant is aware, and which it is one object of the present invention to provide, is a generally cylindrical or tubular table which allows the lordotic curves of a patient's spine to remain as the patient is left in a relaxed lordotic posture when supine, that is lying along in a “hugging” position on the table. Thus it is a further object to provide such a table whereon the patient is stable when lying supine and in a relaxed lordotic posture thereby being conducive for manipulative and myofascial applications. A further aspect of the present invention is to provide a generally cylindrical or tubular table which provides for exercise and stretching applications in addition to chiropractic therapy, and which may thus provide for all such applications, including weight lifting, strength training, long axis traction, myofascial therapy, manipulative therapy, physiotherapy, surgical applications, and prone and supine relaxing.